Deputy Director - Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) and Migrant Children Policy
| Posting date: | 19 March 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £81,000 to £91,000 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 08 April 2026 |
| Location: | Manchester |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 453750/10 |
Summary
The Directorate brings together a range of functions at the heart of the Asylum Group to ensure that we have a clear strategic direction and ability to lead the asylum system as a single entity. This is a high-profile area of work, subject to intense Ministerial and public scrutiny.
The Asylum Policy Unit is led by two Deputy Directors and is responsible for the management of existing asylum policy as well as the development of new policies and legislation to deliver the government’s vision for asylum.
This Deputy Director role is responsible for ensuring the department has policy capacity targeted to specifically address the unique challenges faced by children, both accompanied and unaccompanied, in the asylum and migration systems. The Deputy Director provides dedicated oversight for the creation of child-centric policies so that children’s rights and welfare are prioritised within these complex systems.
The UASC Policy Team takes the lead to deliver meaningful change across a range of different policy areas, designing extensive legislative and operational reforms to the age assessment process, providing policy oversight for continuous improvement of the National Transfer Scheme and working very closely with operational partners as well as cross-Government stakeholders and local authorities.
The Child Policy Team is responsible for ensuring that we develop policies in line with our duties under section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009, and consider how we monitor compliance with our legal duties to children. This includes coordination with other policies covering vulnerable people and safeguarding.
The role requires extensive internal and external stakeholder engagement and effective collaboration across the Home Office and wider government, primarily DfE, MHCLG, and MoJ. The ability to apply strategic thinking and communication styles that build effective relationships, including with local government stakeholders and external NGOs, is vital to successful delivery in this role.
- Provide strong policy leadership on all UASC matters, including age assessment, the National Transfer Scheme and contingency accommodation, navigating through ambiguity within complex systems to deliver at pace. Able to foster a positive organisational culture that gets the best from a diverse team and to embed change.
- Provide strategic leadership and expertise on UN Convention Rights of a Child/Section 55 and children's matters, supporting policy units across the department with advice and a central point to drive forward cross cutting risks. Take ownership of the statutory guidance, including ensuring it is updated and maintained.
- Lead a cross departmental children’s policy forum for all teams who have responsibility for children’s policy.
- Coordination and strategic management of cross cutting activities relating to children, including the department's interaction with the priorities of other government departments.
- Work collaboratively in a challenging, multi-stakeholder environment both with operational partners internally and with policy colleagues across government, supporting Ministers where appropriate.
- Carry out regular reviews of existing policies impacting children and the guidance which underpins them, ensuring equality impact assessments and other policy assurance frameworks are adhered to.
- Lead responses to litigation, including by providing witness statement evidence relating to relevant policies and leading policy development in line with legal judgments.
- Ensure teams are skilled and effective to be responsive both to business as usual tasks and in more urgent crisis response situations where required.
- Ensure team members are well-supported and enabled to develop and improve whilst in the Unit.
- Work closely with and provide support and cover for the other APU Deputy Director to ensure resilience and consistency between the adult and children systems.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme